Rescue Mission
by DreamSprite
Summary: He was putting a team together and the first on his list was her.


What I would give to own Terra Nova…

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><p>The bar was dark, smelled of illegal smoke and just like the rest of the world it was overcrowded. Tucking his rebreather into his coat pocket Nathaniel Taylor scanned the shady drinking establishment looking for a familiar head of black hair. He had been searching for his old medic for nearly a week and was quickly running out of places she might be drinking away a years' worth of combat pay in. When he didn't spot the woman Taylor took a seat at the bar to get a drink or two before heading to the next hole in the wall.<p>

Half way through his first whiskey the sounds of a fight caught his attention. There were four men about his height and build and all four seemed to be engaging a single opponent.

With a grin Taylor finished the rest of his drink. He had finally found her.

Even though she was outnumbered Washington didn't seem to be having any trouble with the men. The first to come at her was met with a boot to the knee and an elbow to the neck that left him on the ground gasping for air. The next two tried attacking together, a strategy that proved to be a mistake when she caught the one on the left by his wrist and twisted it painfully forcing the man to his knees to keep the appendage from being broken. His partner thought he had an opening and in his rush to strike didn't see her free hand jab up sharply against his nose with a resounding crack. Turning her attention to the first man she took hold of the hair at the back of his head to force it against her knee and knocking him out. The last man had circled around to her back and as soon as she released the blond he wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to her side.

For a moment Taylor thought about going to her aid. Instead he shouldered his way to the front of the crowd to get a better view.

Bending her knees Washington shifted her weight enough to throw the man over her shoulder. He hit the floor hard but not hard enough to take him out. Rolling onto his feet he took a swing at her and was probably more surprised than she when it made contact. His victory was short lived when her elbow slammed into his gut. The blow caused him to double over and her uppercut finished him off.

With the fight over the onlookers lost interest and went back to minding their own business. Washington was still standing over the defeated men gingerly touching her jaw when Taylor came up behind her. In hindsight he should have known what the adrenaline of a good fight could do to a soldier's reflexes. Sensing a presence behind her Washington spun around with a right hook aimed at his chin. He easily caught her attack before it could land.

"You're getting sloppy Wash."

Her tense stance relaxed as he released her hand. She looked about the same as the last time he saw her except her hair was longer and there were no visible weapons on her person. She spit a mouth full of blood to the side and smiled.

"It's good to see you too Sir."

A groan came from one of the men but neither paid him any attention.

"Join me for a drink."

His tone was friendly but left no room for a denial. Grabbing her jacket and rebreather from a nearby table Washington followed him to the bar. After a couple rounds she finally asked the question that had been bouncing around her head since she first set eyes on her former commander.

"What brings you to Vegas Sir?"

"I'm putting a team together and I want you for my second."

She looked up from her drink with an expression he knew all too well. It was the complete acceptance of her life as a soldier and her readiness to follow him into the next battle.

"Who are we going to kill."

"It's not that kind of team."

Her brow rose in curiosity.

"It's a rescue mission of sorts."

"Who's in trouble?"

For Taylor himself to be leading the operation the client must be either extremely wealthy or extremely important.

"The human race."

She thought he was joking and started to laugh. When he didn't join her she grew quiet. Looking back into her drink she hated the bitterness that tainted her voice as she spoke but did nothing to try and hide it.

"The human race is sprinting towards extension, how are you going to rescue it?"

His face broke into a rare genuine smile.

"Let me tell you about a place called Terra Nova."


End file.
